In healthcare environments, hand washing is considered important in the arena of infection control. Particularly, hand washing in the healthcare setting is employed in order to reduce the transmission of nosocomial infections. Healthcare guidelines often require strict procedures for both hand washing and glove usage when working in a healthcare environment. For example, some healthcare guidelines mandate a hand washing routine that includes a vigorous scrub of a healthcare provider's hands for at least ten seconds followed by a pat dry with a towel. Further, under such guidelines, medical gloves must be worn when contact with a patient's bodily fluids is possible.
Various dispensers are available for the dispensing of products useful in a healthcare environment. For example, product dispensers for the dispensing of wiping products, such as towels, are known. Additionally, dispensers for the dispensing of covering products, such as gloves, are also in use. Further, dispensers for the dispensing of application products, such as soap, gel, and lotion, are also known. These types of dispensers are individual dispensers that may be transported to and from different locations, or these dispensers are fixed at a single location in a pre-operating room or other area.
These conventional dispensers are configured for the dispensing of but a single type of product. For example, a dispenser may be configured for dispensing a wiping product, such as paper towels, for use in drying one's hands or for the cleaning of a surface, but is not configured for dispensing gloves, soap or additional products desirable in a healthcare environment. As a result, several individual independent dispensers for the provision of various products are necessary. This situation is undesirable in that one or more of the individual dispensers may become displaced and/or a user may have to travel to different areas in order to access the various products. Further, several individual dispensers create clutter about the healthcare environment and increase the chances that the product or dispenser will not be replaced or refilled by maintenance personnel due to their spaced apart and/or movable nature.